Dreamy Draw

In December of 1916, Sam Hughes, a Phoenix
resident, discovered cinnabar deposits in the
area now known as Dreamy Draw. Cinnabar, a
mercury sulfide, had been discovered earlier
that year in the area. Near his largest deposit,
the Rico Mine, Sam Hughes erected a retort furnace,
built a cabin, and sunk a main shaft and
water well. Hughes, working alone, would fill
an ore bucket, climb 100 feet of ladder to the
surface and then hoist the ore bucket using a
hand windless. In 1925 the U.S. Bureau of
Mines reported that, “the bottom of the mine is
damp, the temperature in the face of the drift is
high, and the ventilation is poor.”

Publication Date

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